Chapter Fourteen: Whose Saving Whom?
I'm careful not to wake you fearing conversation
Its better just to hold you and keep you pacified
I'm talented with reason. I cover all the angles.
I can fail before I even try.
-Dashboard Confessional "Bend Not Break"
Kori stood behind the door for what seemed like an eternity. Dick had come for her? He had honestly come to save her! She bit her tongue hard, "Ouch" she whispered, I am not dreaming, she peered out the door and saw his uncovered eyes, ablaze with fury.
"Why should I Richard? She's in perfectly good condition; I just want to talk to you. How are things? Work, romance?" Slade smirked, Dick's eyes remained cold, 'well if you don't tell me how things have changed let me tell you what I've done in the past year, I've been in prison. Dying to talk to the person who put me in there and now that I am I want some revenge,"
With that said Slade Wilson punched Dick, sending him to the ground. Kori couldn't contain herself any longer, "Dick!" he burst out of the room and to his side. "Dick are you okay?" She touched his cheek, he opened his eyes.
"Kori but you're supposed to be-" he paused. "Why aren't you-" this time Slade cut him off with cries of.
"What is she doing free?" He was throwing his arms around violently. "Someone get her!" He ordered.
One of the men leapt at her, but just as soon as you could say 'zarnic' Dick had tossed him to the ground. "What are you doing?" he asked dumbfounded.
"I am saving myself," She replied simply kicking another attacker. "I do not always need a knight in shining armor you know?"
"Duck!" He yelled as two came up from behind, he pushed her behind him and attacked both at once.
She got close to his ear, "But it is very nice to have one just in case."
"How sweet, a tender moment," Roy said. "But as we all know, everything has to end," he revealed a gun. Dick reached behind him keeping Kori close and out of harms way.
"Roy I'm asking you once put the gun down." Dick didn't dare move a muscle, his body grew tense as he held Kori's waist from behind. Kori's soft hand grabbed his own, and the familiar feeling sent chills up his spine.
"Why Dick," Roy said in an injured way. "You didn't say please." With that he closed one eye, lowered his face and placed one finger on the trigger.
"Roy stop!" Kori cried shakily from her ex-partner. He could tell she was sobbing; he squeezed her hand in attempt to be reassuring. She sniffled.
"Kori darling, are you scared?" Roy asked mockingly releasing his aim. "I'm your handsome prince. I would never hurt you." He taunted her cruelly, using her childish daydreams against her. "All I need to do is protect you," He held the gun up and placed it in its former position. "Which means destroying him"
A small clicking sound came from inside the gun. It was a sign to Roy that the gun was ready to fire. Dick also heard the sound and took it as a sign to push Kori down and out of the range of fire. He closed his eyes and was prepared to accept his fate, the sound of metal sliding across the floor, a grunt of pain, and a scream reached his keen ears.
Upon opening his blue eyes he saw Slade glaring at Roy. "That wasn't part of the plan." He growled at the younger man. Roy bowed his head apologetically.
"I'm sorry boss,"
"You should be, after all I've done for you. I took you in when you were just a sorry excuse for a racer, I made you invincible. You wanted the girl; I would have given you the girl after I got my revenge!" With that Slade picked up the gun from the floor and fired it at Roy. "Insolent boy,"
Dick took the distraction as a sign to check on Kori, but to his surprise when he looked down he saw only the floorboards. "Kori? He whispered cautiously.
"That girl was taking your attention away from our conversation Richard," Slade waved the missing girl off casually.
"What did you do to her?" He asked angrily.
'I simply had her removed from the room, she's not dead." Slade assured calmly. "Not yet. I figured we needed to talk before I do anything rash."
"Where is she?"
"If the girl keeps distracting you I can have her killed." Slade remarked coldly. Dick looked at the ground in defeat. "There's a good boy, now how as life been treating you? Have you found yourself a girlfriend?" He asked in a slightly taunting manner.
"You mean since you threatened the only one I've ever loved?" Dick sneered.
"If she's still distracting you I can have her killed, all I need to do is snap my fingers and she's gone."
Dick was about to retort when a familiar scream reached his ears "Robin!"
"Star," he whispered in panic. The scream came from her room, with that knowledge he took off in a run to her room. What he saw terrified him more than anything in the world.
One of the many goons held on to her thin wrist. The rest of the young woman was not visible for she was over the balcony dangling with only one criminal holding her up. She looked down and screamed once more.
The apartment that the two women once owned stood seven stories high. The busy streets below assured sudden death, and Kori's struggle didn't help matters. "Let me go! I do not wish to be hung over the street like this!"
"What are you doing to her?" Dick asked rushing over to the ledge.
"Ah, ah ah Richard, I would advise you against moving another step unless you want her to die." Slade switched places with the goon. "Now I was saving this part of the plan until later, but now that we're here,"
Dick looked at Kori. Her face was scrunched in distaste as the villain gripped her wrist. Her green eyes were filled with tears, not only from the pain in her wrist, but from the thought of what Slade's next plan was.
"Right now I am giving you the choice Grayson. You can catch me, or save the girl, only one can happen. If you save the girl I escape, if you arrest me, she dies. So which will it be?" Slade knew what he was doing, using Dick's emotions against him.
"Her," Dick answered without hesitation. "I choose her," he finished his sentence calmly.
"Well then you had better catch her." Slade released Kori and took off through the door. Dick rushed to the balcony quickly catching her hand just as she fell. She looked up at him as he heaved her up to the landing.
"You saved me," She whispered breathlessly. "Why did you not go after Slade? He is escaping," Kori whispered to him. She then fainted into his arms. He cradled the girl in his arms as though she would break at any moment.
"I would always save you," he whispered to her. Touching her hair lightly he exhaled. "If you weren't safe I don't know what I would do," Dick whispered as he felt her breathe against him.
Sirens wailed as he walked out. He was greeted by the bright red and blue lights, thuds on cars and many voices. He found his team. "We caught him," Gar answered before Dick could even ask.
"That's good," Dick commented absently.
"You saved her," Raven nodded with a small smile. "That's equally good."
"Yeah," Dick snapped back to reality. "We should all head home." He looked to Vic, Raven and Gar, "do you guys mind if I take her and all of you get in Vic's car?" Each of them nodded their heads and walked to Vic's car.
Dick kept firm hold on Kori until they reached the Volkswagen then he gently placed her in the passenger seat. He took the drivers seat and began to drive slowly. Hitting the stereo on he began to listen to a sad slow song as he glanced at the sleeping woman every few seconds.
"Hey Dick check it out, your crook escaped," One of the inspectors threw a copy of The JumpCity Times onto his desk. The headline stood out big and bold Slade Wilson escaped! The article had gone on to explain how and the time the convict escaped. He threw the paper across the desk.
The phone rang before he could begin to rant. "Grayson,"
"Slade?"
"That's right,"
"Where are you?" He growled regaining his composure.
"My, you have a very pretty girlfriend." Slade whispered ignoring the question.
"Don't go near her,"
"I see I've found a weakness," He could hear the smile in the criminal's voice.
"She's not my weakness, she's just my friend."
"I see, well you might want to keep her as far from you as possible Richard." The other line clicked. Dick groaned and pulled something out of his desk.
"Perhaps another time Kori," With that he slipped the black, velvet box into his coat pocket. He rose from his desk and mumbled "it just had to be on our anniversary,"
"I'm sorry I hurt you Starfire." He apologized to the sleeping girl. "I'm sorry for everything I've ever done to upset you, and I'm sorry I never told you that I love you," He grazed her cheek with his hand. The scooped her up once more and carried her to the elevator.
Without releasing her he hit the button with his toe, and felt the elevator lurch upward. The numbers pinged and he walked out and kicked the door as a knock. The green furry face of Gar smiled as he saw s sisterly figure. "Come on in," he moved aside allowing them to enter.
"Did you solve all the problems that you needed to?" Raven asked with a smirk. Dick shrugged casually and walked to Kori's room and placed her in her bed as she usually slept with her head hanging off the edge.
"I'm going home now, you two behave yourselves, and if you can call when Kori wakes up," He smiled slightly. "I'm going to see if the paper'll accept my new ad, I still need a new partner, so you guys know if you wouldn't mind." He faded off
"Of course, we'll guide her towards it." Raven assured.
"I can let myself out." He did just that leaving Raven and Gar alone, save for the sleeping Kori in the other room.
"Do you think she'll go to him tomorrow?" Gar asked humorously.
"Yeah, I do. Just as soon as she realizes what happened." Raven replied. She looked at Gar quickly before resting her head upon his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder instinctively and the couple just sat for what must have been hours just happy to be together once more.
"Do you think we should get to bed?" Gar whispered into her ear. She turned to face him with a brow arched. "What?" he asked as if he did something wrong.
"Do you mean together?" She asked with a tiny smile tugging at her lips.
Gar blushed what would have been a deep crimson, if it had not been for his skin condition. "Um… well." He began to stutter. She smiled at him the slightest bit. "If you want," he whispered timidly.
"All right" She grinned and walked towards his room. Gar followed her loyally and shut the door behind him. They remained in the messy room until noon the next day, just as Kori was preparing breakfast.
"Good morning, I see you two slept well." She teased. Both shook their heads and sat at the table. After eating his tofu Gar insisted that he needed to go the news stand and pick up a paper.
End Fourteen
A/N: Woah, really short, because the next chapter is the last one. I am so sorry that I didn't update sooner. I wanted to finish this at Cedar Point. But some things happened while I was there, like my first kiss being a total disaster and with someone I barely knew. So Yeah, I lost my fairytale inspiration at the totally wrong time, then slowly I regained it and now I'm back. Thanks to:
Dogdemon8343-aquatmariene-RRKL-UnOrthodox-aligirl34-mew-xena-bunny133-hellscatofnaughtyness-Hanako110-Cool Cat96-Tamaran Gal-SlayerGirl1362-awwww- RobinRox13-tabbo22-Saiya Winters-Lost Inside-solodancer789
Starxfire: Yeah the italics were the past. That's neat thinking of the story in black in white. Merci Beauocoup.
Stormy Dreamer: That's my cousin's birthday, and was supposed to be mine, wow kooky 0o, heh heh, the part about Cyborg, I didn't want to totally abandon him so I had to think of a way to get him back in.
Starrobin4eva: thanks a bunch, yeah school is evil, perhaps I should hire my friends to torch the schools…
DIWaRrIa- thanks for reminding me (goes back and adds fighting). Forgive my lack of update, I am awfully sorry.
Angelsflame265: It actually did rain which led up to the guy that we met asking us about the weather and then, (shudders) he hung out with us the rest of the trip. Still I like the rain, just not being around strangers in the rain. Thanks for the wish though
Moon-N-Stars: Yay, my friend and I aren't loons, we didn't get to do much anyway, her father made us turn the thing off at like ten thirty, what the heck! Oh well I got some feedback on it.
yami koneko: lol, your review reminded me of what my friend (not red) said after reading a very suggestive part in "The Titans: Murder by Consensus" which is a comic. I'm sorry for the cliffie, but at least it was effective.
Seventy 5ive:It's okay, many apologies for the wait.
Flying Star tltsi: Glad you like the idea! I liked the latest poems that I read by the way!
Luvtowritefics247: Thanks. I don't mind at all if you post it there, please send me a link.
Till probably next weekend, when the story ends.